Ever since the mastery of the concept of tools, humanity has sought to improve or augment human performance through the use of external objects. In its original forms, this pursuit was directed towards utility devices such as levers, hammers, and other tools that aided survival and success. As society and civilization progressed individuals found they had the time and energy to engage in entertainment activities such as sports. Sporting activities naturally made use of tools to implement or facilitate novel play. These tools have developed over the years into well known devices such as bats, rackets, sticks, etc. Often it is these tool based sporting goods that drive the very nature of athletic performance and therefore the direction of the sport itself.
Recent developments in sporting goods have commonly turned to the development or utilization of high tech materials. Considerable design effort has been expended to make devices stronger, lighter, more or less flexible, and more durable. The principles behind this direction in sports innovation have lead many in the industry to believe the future of traditional sporting goods lies in the introduction of new and improved materials to traditional designs. What the improved material theories fail to address is the fundamental limitations of the traditional designs they seek to improve. A new approach towards rethinking traditional design shapes may produce more significant improvements than the application of material sciences.
One arena in which traditional sporting and utility tools are lacking stems from a failure to apply decades of knowledge of the human body to age old designs. Often the tools or sports equipment retain designs that are offshoots from the simple sticks from which they were originally formed. As such they largely remain straight shafts with only the most minor modifications. Players or other users must grip the straight shaft from the side. This commonly places the users wrist in a strained position which in turn hampers performance and causes undue stress on the user. In addition, a traditional side gripping stance places the centreline of the user's forearm on an angle to the centreline of the engaged shaft. This non-linear grip approach prevents the shaft from acting as a true extension of the users arm. The brain and body must compensate for the lack of linear extension constantly during usage of the shaft. This not only adds undue stress to the player but also acts a limiter to the true freedom of motion granted to human form.
It would be advantageous to have ergonomic handle design that would allow athletes to perform with a reduction of stress as well as a more liberal freedom of motion they already experience in their own limbs.